Figures on the size and composition of the armed forces of Bolivia vary considerably, with rare official data available.

The roles and tenure of the High Command are described in the Organic Law of the Armed Forces (LOFA)[1] which states that the hierarchy is subordinate to and appointed by the President of Bolivia with the Minister of Defense acting as an intermediary between the President and the Armed Forces.

"[8] The current positions, appointed by interim president Jeanine Áñez Chávez on 13 Nov 2019[9] are as follows: Article 100 of the LOFA also states that these positions, and several others such as Chief of Police and Head of the Presidential, may be held "only once during the military career and for a time no greater than two years".

Army officers, NCOs, and enlisted personnel generally wear gray or, for tropical areas, gray-green service uniforms.

The standard headgear for enlisted personnel is the beret bearing the national colors of red, yellow and green.

Bolivia has large rivers that are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking.

[42] The Bolivian Navy takes part in many parades and government functions, but none more so than the Día Del Mar (Day of the Sea) in which Bolivia, every year, asks for the coast territories lost to Chile during the War of the Pacific (fought between Peru and Bolivia against Chile) from 1879 to 1884.

The Libertador Simón Bolívar, a ship acquired from Venezuela, use to navigate from its home port in Rosario, Argentina on the River Paraná.

The Bolivian Naval Force covers the extensive river and lake Bolivian territory divided between the following functions Naval Districts, note that the names of these units are derived from the basin or region where they operate: The Marine component of the FNB originated with the creation of the Marine Battalion Almirante Grau in the early 1980s.

Staff of this unit is part of Task Force Blue Devils or are stationed in various naval bases.

There are currently seven infantry battalions which are distributed as follows: This specialty is essentially similar to its counterpart in the Army, carrying out operations such as Important Persons Protection (IPP) Physical Security (SEF) or Patrol Facility (PAT), with additions such as signals or naval protocol.

Military authorities in the Cochabamba area in particular began to experience growing difficulty in enlisting volunteers in the mid-1980s.

Consequently, the military reportedly was resorting to pressganging eighteen-year-olds off the city streets to fill their annual quotas.